Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice ArtPress Kit _________________________________________________________________________________

About Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art

Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art followed on the heels of Woman + Body, our October 2012 collaboration with Hye-Seong Tak Lee and women artists in Seoul and Gwangju, South Korea. In March 2013, The International Caucus of the Women's Caucus for Art was invited by the Wei Er Shen, President of LuXun Academy of Fine Arts in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, China to create an art-based cultural exchange and exhibition between artists and essayists juried through WCA and women artists curated in China. This was held at the LuXun Academy April 15-30, 2014. In addition to the exhibiiton, Half the Sky: Intersections of Social Practice Art included a sixteen member delegation of selected WCA members, thirteen of whom traveled to Shenyang for the opening of this exhibition and to participate in 2-3 days of interactive events with the Chinese artists and students of the Academy.

The academy was interested in providing an opportunity for Chinese women artists to interact with artists from our organization, to learn more about feminist art history in the west and share their art with our artists.

Social Practice ArtSocial practice art encompasses a wide range of art forms - public art, interactive media, performance, dialogue, activism, community practice, community building, interventions, and collaborations that cross art, public and social arenas. This project's cultural exchange is in itself a form of social practice form art. In the exhibition, artwork from our juried process and the curated Chinese artists will create a powerful environment in which the delegation and Chinese women artists and students will interact in a variety of events - creation of collaborative art, dialogues, demonstrations, sharing of the catalog essays and techniques and more.

"More than a side by side showing of works of women artists from different countries, this project as a whole is social practice art. It is a collection of collaborations, interactions, dialogue, performance, working groups, and com- munity building that highlight social issues. It encompasses a delegation of U.S.-based artists and writers traveling to LuXun Academy of Fine Arts in Shenyang, China. It has interactive, participatory offerings created by these delegates to engage Chinese artists in ways that break through cultural and language differences. It is Chinese artists and the professors and students at LuXun Academy illuminating their art practices and methods. And, it is a myriad collection of art forms – from the traditional to the new – which expresses the unique perceptions of inner and outer worlds." — From Cornett's Statement in the Half at the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art catalog

Jing DengCo-Director, Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice ArtWCA memberNew Jersey-based artistMs. Deng and Yin Ou Zhao developed the initial idea of women artists from WCA and China coming together to share art and experiences. Ms. Deng visited LuXun Academy in March 2013, spoke with Wei Er Shen, President of LuXun Academy and Wang Yi Gang, gallery director at LuXuan Academy, to finalize the invitation. Ms. Deng will also be a member of the WCA delegation. jdjordan200[at]yahoo.com

"Women hold up half the sky", the proclamation by Chairman Mao, has taken on many fresh facets
of meaning since it's origin. Through its visual art work, this collaboration between the Women's
Caucus for Art in America and the LuXun Academy of Fine Arts in China provides a wonderful
opportunity to reexamine and reflect on the phrase in two dramatically different cultural contexts."

"Half the Sky opens the door for Luxun Academy and the Women’s Caucus for Art to share contemporary practices and trends in the arts. The process leading to the exchange is as important as the event itself. Half the Sky can only come to life through teamwork among women across two continents, their desire for awareness and sharing, and their deep, abiding faith in the value of global relationships. As the president of the Women’s Caucus for Art I look forward to visiting the Luxun Academy in Shenyang and participating in a cultural exchange that will inspire a creative revolution and build lasting friendships and goodwill among all participants."

"One of the best ways to create good will among peoples from different nations is to bring them together on a common project. An undertaking that allows people to open up to a culturally different group can be an effective ice breaker, giving everyone an opportunity to connect through a shared purpose. In the case of Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art, the endeavor that unites women from the United States and from China is art. In addition to having art as their common denominator, the women also share gender and politics. They are all concerned with making art that contextualizes their life experiences in a contemporary world." — From Ruiz' Juror Statement in the Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art catalog

"Let us quietly feel the extraordinary powers of perception found in these women artists' response to their environment. In this endeavor to bring together the art of two cultures, may we appreciate both the difference and common ground found in the vision of American and Chinese female artists."

Zhao Yin Ou Chinese Co-Curator, Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art . Ms. ZhaoBeijing-based artistsAs family friend of Jing Deng, Ms. Zhao set up the initial invitation from LuXun Academy to WCA's International Caucus.

"As artists, we are in dialogue; open to communication between different languages and in search of connection to both
past and present; making our roadmaps of feeling ever more open and complex."

Terri Weissman, Ph.D. Call for Essays Juror, Half the Sky: Intersections in Social Practice Art Assistant Professor of Art History, University of Illinois - Urbana/Champaign. Please see her bio on the Essays & Essayists page. tweissma[at]illinois.edu

LuXun Academy of Fine Arts

Women's Caucus for Art and its International Caucus

The Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA), founded in 1972, is a non-profit, UN-Affiliated NGO and national membership organization whose mission is to expand opportunities and recognition for women in the arts. Its internal International Caucus, which is directing this project, is the liaison between the Women's Caucus for Art's and the United Nations, develops art platforms to support UN Goals, and develops collaborative projects, such as this one, with other global organizations. WCA currently has over 1200 members - both national and international.

WCA’s International Caucus has created art opportunities at international venues since 1995, when it sent a delegation of 100 Women’s Caucus of Arts members to the United Nations 4th World Conference for Women, which was held in several cities in China. More recently these projects have included exhibitions for UN DPI/NGO Conferences and, last year, a collaborative exhibition of South Korean and US artists titled Woman + Body was held in Seoul and Gwangju, South Korea.